Page 38 of Sparks Fly
Stella squinted at her. “What do you mean?”
Effie shrugged. “I just wonder if maybe his brother gave him the idea.”
“Oh yes, AI guy,” Katy said. “Although he hasn’t been around lately. Maybe it was the other one. Rashid.”
“Or this is simply Miles’ doing and we’ve underestimated him,” Stella said, probably too defensively. But she didn’t like what Effie was implying. Max had told her he would stay out of this whole Yellow Sparks/Sparky thing, and as far as she could tell, he had done that. There was no reason to believe he was involved in this.
Right?
“Regardless, we’re fucked,” Effie said solemnly. “We’re damned if we give in and use Sparky, and we’re damned if we don’t. Katy’s right. It doesn’t matter what we do if everyone decides to participate.”
“So are you going to do it?” Stella asked, glad they were moving on.
Effie chewed her lip before nodding.
“Yeah,” she said. “If this thing actually helps us get our work done faster, at least I’ll get more days off out of it. What are you going to do?”
“The same, I guess,” Stella said. “What choice do we have?”
Effie and Katy grumbled their agreement, and it was decided. It was time to learn how to use their new AI.
Nineteen
Stella was determined to leave all thoughts of work and the upcoming Sprint Week at the office when she left to meet Max.
He’d invited her to meet him at a restaurant called Plantain Chips and Salsa. The name alone already had her excited, and looking at the menu made her mouth water.
As the name suggested, the place served a variety of Latin dishes, stemming from chips and salsa to ropa vieja. Stella was most excited to try the pineapple-glazed ham with yellow rice and plantains. She figured it was probably best to avoid the black beans it was also supposed to come with. Tonight was not the night to be gassy.
When she stepped into the restaurant, she was immediately enveloped by the smell of good food and the sounds of salsa music from a live band in the back. The place was dimly lit, and it took her a minute to spot Max at one of the tables alongside the dance floor in the middle of the room.
Even from a distance he looked good. He was intently focused on his phone, his head bowed and his broad shoulders hunched in a way that made Stella’s own back hurt just looking at him. He was wearing a pressed shirt that looked perfectly tailored to his frame and dark pants, although she couldn’t tell if they were actually black or if it was too dark to make out the color.
“Hello, table for one?”
The maître d’ stepped out from behind the host stand to greet Stella.
“I’m actually meeting that guy over there,” Stella said, pointing to Max.
“Oh, excellent. He just got here only a minute ago, so you’re right on time.”
Stella was actually a whole minute early, but of course Max was earlier than she was. She got the feeling that he was the kind of person who thought being early was on time and being on time was late. Her dad was the same way, but Stella had inherited her mother’s tendency to be always running a little late. She was thankful she left work a smidge early to ensure she’d be here on time.
The maître d’ led Stella to Max’s table, and when he noticed her he stood with a smile, greeting her with a hug.
“Oh hello,” Stella said. She wrapped her arms around his middle as he pulled her in tight. Stella melted instantly, loving the feel of his strong arms around her. Plus, he smelled good. Just enough cologne that she wanted to get even closer, but not so much that it was overpowering her senses, like the guys in her high school who used to bathe in AXE Body Spray.
“Hi,” he murmured into her hair. He stepped back a bit sohe could look down at her. Stella’s Docs gave her about an inch of extra height, so he still towered over her quite a bit, but she loved it.
“Miss me?” he asked.
Stella laughed. “Maybe a little. Although I think we’ve talked almost every day this week.”
“Yes, but talking is not the same as seeing,” he said. He lowered his head so his mouth was by her ear when he whispered, “And touching. And tasting.”
His words sent a shiver down her spine as she suspected it was supposed to, based on the wicked grin she saw on his face when he pulled back.
Stella decided two could play that game. She stepped forward, reached up on her tippy toes, and wrapped her arms around him, tugging him back down.
